Numismatics

Coin types with Celtic legends in a North Italic alphabet

The 20 known coin types with legend which associate them with Cisalpine Celtic literacy belong to three different groups.

A. Silver drachmae based on a Massaliote model with primary distribution in the Padan plain

Literature: Mommsen 1853: 252 f., Blanchet 1905: 241–244, Whatmough 1933: 121–135 (I), Pautasso 1966: 5–123, Lejeune 1971: 124–128 (group A).

Legends:

• NM·2 anarekartoṣ
• NM·4 pirakos
• NM·5 rikoi
• NM·6 seχeθu
• NM·7 toutiopouos

Whatmough lists the respective legends under the header "The Leponti and their neighbours"; Lejeune 1971: 126 stresses that the legends of group A may possibly, but are not certainly linguistically Lepontic.

B. Gold staters with primary distribution in the Valle d'Aosta and the Valais

Literature: Mommsen 1853: 250–252, Blanchet 1905: ???, Whatmough 1933: 121–129, 135–140 (II), Pautasso 1966: 137–153, Lejeune 1971: 124, 128–130 (group B), Wiblé 2000, Geiser et al. 2012: 78–90.

Legends:

• NM·9 ana / tikou
• NM·10 aśeś
• NM·11 kasiloi
• NM·12 kat
• NM·13 prikou
• NM·14 ulkos

The gold coins of the Aosta/Valais region have an average weight of ca. 7 g, are slightly concave, and feature unusual geometric imagery: on the obverse, a small circle, three parallel lines and variations of a triangular shape/dividing line/grid pattern, on the obverse either an unrecognisable image or a trident shape and peaked line, the latter variant sometimes with a legend in between. The coinage is modelled on the "Raetic" staters of the Vindelici, which are in turn modelled on the Macedonian coinage of Alexander the Great, which has the head of Athena on the obverse, the figure of Nike on the reverse (Forrer 1908: 278, Pautasso 1966: 142–146). Of 21 known pieces, nine bear a legend.

In the earlier literature, the gold coins of the Aosta/Valais region are associated with the Salassi, a view which goes back to Mommsen 1853: 250-252. Mommsen, knowing specimens of NM·10, NM·11, NM·13 and NM·14, argued that the coinage was connected with gold deposits in the valleys of Doria Baltea and Cervo, in regions in which the Salassi are located by classical historiography. Mommsen dated these "Salassian" coins to a phase shortly before 142 BC, in which year the Romans defeated the Salassi and reorganised the gold mining in the area. Observing that there was no gold coined in Massalia and that the then known coins' approximate weight of 6.84 g equalled that of 6 Roman scruples, Mommsen proposed that the "Salassian" coins were modelled on the Roman gold denarius based on 3, 2, and 1 scruples after 217 BC. Mommsen's conclusions were accepted by Longpérier 1861: 333–347 (= Longpérier 1883: 496–507) (already containing all legends known today), Pauli 1885: 75–78, Blanchet 1905: 148, 271 ff. and Whatmough (PID: 124), who dated the coins to the second quarter of the 2^nd c. BC. The ascription of the gold coinage to the Salassi was challenged by Pautasso 1966: 146–152 (also 1972b: 42 f.; cf. already Reber 1900: 163), by whose time the balance of the finds had shifted north of the Great St. Bernard pass and their average weight had increased. Pautasso ascribes the gold coinage to the inhabitants of the upper Rhône valley, whom he identifies as the Uberi. Forrer 1908: 278 dates the gold coinage of group B to the 1^st c. BC on the basis of Celtic comparanda. See also Marinetti & Prosdocimi 1994: 44 f. and Wiblé 2000: 235 f.

Whatmough ((PID: 139) and Pautasso 1966: 145 agree on the rough internal chronology of the coins based on design and weight, the anepigraphic types being the oldest ones, followed by the types with sinistroverse legends NM·9 and NM·12 and the ones with dextroverse legends NM·13, NM·11, with the "very debased" (Whatmough) NM·10 and NM·14 being the latest types.

C. Silver drachmae with primary distribution in the French Rhône valley

Literature: Mommsen 1853: 253–255, Whatmough 1933: 121–129, 141–146 (III), Lejeune 1971: 124, 130 f. (group C), Pautasso 1976: 486–497, Deroc 1983, Brenot 1998, Geiser et al. 2012: 101–108.

Legends:

• NM·15 .a.lkouesi
• NM·16 iazus
• NM·17 kasios
• NM·20 uol

The series of coin types with legends .a.lkouesi, kasios, iazus and uol has a primary distribution in the lower Rhône valley between Avignon and Lyon, most find places situated on the eastern side, and the lower Isère valley around Grenoble. The emissions are attributed to the Allobroges, Segovellauni and/or Cavares (Geiser et al. 2012: 107 f., Brenot 1998: 36 f.). List of types following Geiser et al. 2012: 101–104:
Ia. Obverse right-facing head of Apollo (maybe) with laurel wreath, reverse right-facing horse bust and below the dextroverse legend .a.lkouesi; both motifs abstractified (stylistically "Gallicising" according to Pautasso 1976: 488). Heavier variant 2.5–2.6 g, lighter variant 2.35–2.4 g.
Ib. Similar to the above, but with dextroverse legend kasios; 2.3–2.4 g.
Ic. As above, but head of Apollo without wreath, and motifs executed in a more figurative style, with dextroverse legend kasios; 2.3–2.4 g.
Id. As above, but left-facing horse bust and sinistroverse legend kasios.
IIa. Obverse left-facing head of Apollo, on the reverse left-facing galloping horse and dextroverse legend iazus between head and croup; 2.25–2.35 g.
IIb. As above, but dextroverse legend uol (according to Brenot 1998: 27).
IIc. As above, but anepigraphic.
The internal chronology is under debate: while Pautasso 1976: 493 f. considers type Ic/d to be the oldest because of the figurative style and sinsitroverse legend, and type Ia to be contemporary with or later than Ib, type Ia is taken to be the oldest by Deroc 1983 based on metrological considerations and the dating of the hoards (cf. also Brenot 1998: 27–30). Type II is overall younger than type I.

A number of options are available for the prototypes of the three motifs, mainly the Romano-Campanian didrachm of the second half of the 3^rd c. BC and Carthaginian emissions (Geiser et al. 2012: 104 f., Brenot 1998: 32–35). In terms of their weight, the coins have been argued to be modelled on the light Massalian drachma (which is slightly heavier) and later the tetrobol (Geiser et al. 2012: 105 f.), or again Carthaginian coins (Brenot 1998: 35). They were issued probably over the late 3^rd and the first half of the 2^nd c. BC (Pautasso 1976: 493–495, Brenot 1998: 29 f., Geiser et al. 2012: 104–106).

Concerning the question why the legends are inscribed in the Lepontic rather than the Greek alphabet, Lejeune 1971: 125 suggests that the local Gauls employed minters from northern Italy. Pautasso 1976: 497, arguing that the coin motifs are stylistically different from the Padan ones (see above sub A), instead proposes that a conscious choice was made to prefer the Lepontic over the Greek alphabet. According to Brenot 1998: 30–32, the inspiration for the legends came from the Padan coins which paid the Gaesates (who are identified with the Allobroges by Kruta 2000: 290) for their fight against Rome in the 320ies BC as reported by Polybios.

D. Silver tetradrachmae from the eastern Alps

Literature: Göbl 1973, Stifter 2010b: 234, Geiser et al. 2012: 91 f.

Legends:

• NM·1 ues·
• NM·3 ko / ·e·kr

These were listed by Blanchet 1905: 148 among the "légendes en caractères nord-italiques", mentioned in the appendix of PID: 616 f., and eventually included by Lejeune 1971: 126 f., following an unidentifiable work of Colbert de Beaulieu, among the legends of group A (see above). The coins are, however, from the Noric/Tauriscan area, dated to the second half of the 2^nd century BC; while the language may well be Celtic, the alphabet is more likely to be Venetic. The other "Noric" coins with legends in a North Italic alphabet are:

• ·e·n·no (gold stater, 1 specimen at the Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques de la Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris), inv. no. 9474: 8.35 g, 21.4x22.2 mm; image in the Gallica catalogue).
• ·n·no·u· (silver tetradrachm type Kugelreiter, 2 specimens at the Münzkabinett of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien and at the Landesmuseum für Kärnten in Klagenfurt, Kos 2004, Göbl 1973: 86, b(6–7), 118, Taf. 4).
• t (silver tetradrachm type Kugelreiter, 11 specimens? Kos 2004: 107 f., Göbl 1973: 86, a(1–5), 118, Taf. 4).

• NM·8 natoris
• NM·18 cnreiu
• NM·19 areuiz?e? / ???

Literature on Celtic coin types and legends

1. General or undifferentiated
   • Mommsen 1853: 231-257
   • Pautasso 1966
   • Lejeune 1971: 124-132
   • Arslan 1994
   • Marinetti & Prosdocimi 1994
   • Piana Agostinetti 2004: 109-111 (incl. map)
   • Pautasso 1984 (Le monete preromane dell'area insubre, p. 61-68; see Morandi 1999: 152, n. 4)
2. Lepontic coins
   • Pautasso 1976
   • Arslan & Carazzetti 2000 (Lep. coins)
   • Arslan 2000 (Lep. coins)
   • Arslan 2001 (Lep. coins)
   • Chiesa 2000 (Lep. coins)
   • Marinetti et al. 2000 (Lep. coins)
   • Brenot 1998 (transalp. Lepontic coins)
   • Castelin 1978 (Celt. coins)
3. Celtic coins from northern Italy and southern Switzerland
   • Crawford 1985
   • Fondazione Pautasso 1988 (collection of preroman coins from northern Italy)
   • Piana Agostinetti 1989-90 (votive coins and torques of the Cisalpine Celts)
   • Arslan 1993 (Cisalp. Celt. coins)
   • Piana Agostinetti 1996 (cisalpine coins of the NW-area)
   • Gorini 2000 (Lep. coins from NE-Italy)
   • Pautasso 1975c (Vindelicii-staters from the area of Vercelli)
   • Buora 1994 (Celt. coins from the region Friuli)
   • Morandi 1984 (preroman coin legends from the region Lombardy)
   • Arslan 1990 (Celt. coins in the Po-valley)
   • Chiaravalle 1980 (hoard from Milan)
   • Chiaravalle 1980b (hoard from Legnano)
   • Chiaravalle 1980c (hoard from Borgovercelli)
   • Chiaravalle 1980d (hoard from Verdello)
   • Arslan 1995 (hoard from Rivolta d'Adda)
   • Pautasso 1994 (celtic coins from the region of the Alps)
   • Pautasso 1975 (preroman coins from the area of the Ticino)
4. Padanian coins
   • Pautasso 1970 (Padanian coins)
   • Arslan 1999 (Celt. obols from the Padanian region)
   • Arslan 2000b ("padanian coins", penetration in Roman territory)
   • Ercolani Cocchi 1996 (Padanian drachmae)
   • Pautasso 1982 ("owl"-drachmae from the Padanian region)
   • Morandi 1996 (epigraphical aspects of the Celtic coins from the Padanian region)
   • Arslan 1992 ("padanian coins" from Budapest)
   • Overbeck 2000 ("padanian coins" from Bavaria)
5. Typology
   • Brenot 1996 (cisalp. drachmae)
   • Brenot 2000 (imitations of massalian drachmae)
   • Gorini 1998 (penetration of Greek coins in northern Italy)
   • Saccocci 1994 (Venetic coins)
   • Overbeck 1987 (Celtic coins from Kelheim)
   • Arslan 1996 (typological problems)
   • Fondazione Pautasso 1998 (contact forms of local ant stranger coin types, proceedings)
   • Pautasso 1986 (collection of Pautasso's works, esp. on Celtic coins)

Bibliography

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Crawford 1985	Michael Hewson Crawford, Coinage and money under the Roman Republic. Italy and the mediterranean economy, Berkeley, Los Angeles: Univ. od California Press 1985.
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Forrer 1908	Robert Forrer, Keltische Numismatik der Rhein- und Donaulande, Strassburg: Trübner 1908.
Geiser et al. 2012	Anne Geiser, Julia Genechesi, Nicola Scoccimarro, "Monnaie et écriture au second âge du fer autour de l'arc alpin. Une nouvelle approche des statères épigraphes attribués naguère aux Salasses", Études Celtiques 38 (2012), 77–129.
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